Rochester mayor: City has no authority over Barrington gravel pit plan

By Liz Markhlevskaya

lmark@fosters.com

Friday, December 21, 2012

ROCHESTER — Mayor T.J. Jean emphasized to residents Thursday night that Rochester will have no authority over a Barrington gravel pit being proposed near Rochester homes in the area of Stillwater Circle and Jessica Drive.

Jean and two other city councilors met with about a dozen Lilac City residents who were concerned their tranquil neighborhood will be changed if the excavation site off Green Hill Road in Barrington, now under review by the Barrington Planning Board, comes to light.

Andrews said she and her neighbors have multiple concerns about the project, including those pertaining to pollution of the Isinglass River, air quality, dust, noise, and decreasing property values.

During Thursday’s meeting, Jean encouraged those with concerns to address the Barrington Planning Board and the Strafford Regional Planning Commission, which is reviewing plans for the project for regional impact.

The Strafford Regional Planning Commission will discuss the plans in a public session today at 1 p.m. at the Community Center on 150 Wakefield St.

The gravel pit is being proposed by Trinity Conservation, LLC.

Dan Hussey, member of Trinity Conservation, said Thursday that blasting is also proposed for the site, and will likely take place once every month or two.

During the meeting, Jean, sitting next to Councilors John Larochelle and Peter Lachapelle, said neither the Planning Board nor the City Council in Rochester will be taking an official position on the project.

“We do not have jurisdiction over this project whatsoever,” said Jean, who said city officials can simply participate in discussions of the plan, but will have no influence over the Barrington Planning Board’s decision on whether to approve the project.

But Stillwater resident Melissa Silvey said the city of Rochester, as an abutter to the proposed excavation site, should make a decision on whether it formally supports or opposes the project.

“It’s really about what is Rochester’s position about blasting at the city line,” said Silvey.

Matthew Pappas, a resident of Stillwater Circle, said property values in the area will be negatively affected if the gravel pit project gets approved, leading to Rochester losing tax revenue.

“The entire city will be affected. Higher taxes — nobody likes that,” he said. “The city needs to take a position at some point.”

Toward the end of the meeting, Jean said that if the city were to take an official position on the project, such position would need to be based on as much information as possible. He noted that all of the engineering plans necessary for the project have not yet been completed.

Jean also said the city would need to decide how much resources to dedicate to the Barrington gravel pit project, in terms of having city officials sent to Barrington Planning Board meetings to represent residents’ concerns.

At Thursday’s meeting, residents also questioned how much authority the Strafford Regional Planning Commission can have on the project.

According to City Planner Jim Campbell, “They are advisory, they have no control over the situation, but people still listen to them.”